Sabino de Leon Jr.

Sabino de Leon Jr. (1 June 1932 - 16 June 2003) was a Filipino lawyer who served on the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 1999 to 2002.

Early life and education Sabino de Leon Jr. was born on 1 June 1932 in Pilar, Bataan. His father served as assistant mayor of Greater Manila for Quezon City, among other roles in local government over his life.

He attended Ateneo de Manila University, achieving his degree in law.

In 1999, he was appointed an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines by Joseph Estrada, where he served for three years before retiring in June 2002. Additionally, he moved to impeach eight High Court Justices, and summoning four to testify before the Sandiganbayan.

Secretary of Justice v Judge Lantion (2001) The Court ruled that extradition is an executive function, rather than a criminal proceeding, therefore full constitutional rights do not apply. It also stated that the lack of notice of extradition is to prevent flight, and therefore giving notice of extradition would defeat this purpose. De Leon ruled with the majority.

Death On 16 June 2003, Sabino de Leon Jr. died. In response to his death, the Court's Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. "promised to defend the high court against attacks on its integrity", referencing comments by Estrada regarding his position while de Leon was in office.